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Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 KISMAYO, Somalia — Somalia’s opposition leaders began arriving in Kismayo on Tuesday ahead of a four-day Somali Opposition Conference set to open Wednesday, with organizers saying the gathering will finalize the structure of a new Somali Future Council and assess the country’s political transition. The first delegation was led by Mohamed Aden Koofi, secretary-general of the Somali Salvation Forum. The group landed at Sayid Mohamed Abdulle Hassan Airport and was received by Jubbaland’s Minister of…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has signed a $311 million agreement with pan-African infrastructure fund Africa50 and PowerGrid Corporation of India to design, finance, build and operate two high-voltage electricity transmission lines under a public-private partnership, the finance ministry said Monday. The deal marks one of the East African nation’s largest power-grid concessions to date and is intended to ease chronic constraints on the network as demand grows. The project company will manage the full life cycle of the assets —…

Mogadishu police arrest government soldier over killing of Bajaj driver in Dayniile MOGADISHU, Somalia — Police in the Somali capital have arrested a government soldier suspected of killing a young Bajaj motorcycle operator in the Dayniile district, authorities said Tuesday, in a case that has stirred public concern over civilian safety. The Banadir Regional Police Command said the suspect, identified as Abdullahi Ahmed Geedi, was taken into custody at the Dayniile District Police Station. He is accused of killing Abdirisaq…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A rickshaw operator was shot dead late Sunday in Mogadishu’s Dayniile district by an armed man believed to be a Somali government soldier, relatives and witnesses said, in a killing that has revived public anger over military accountability in the capital. The victim, identified by family as Abdirisaq Abuukar Mohamud, was killed in the Barwaqo area of Dayniile. The assailant was allegedly a member of the Somali National Army, reportedly among troops trained in Eritrea, according to relatives.…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A major opposition meeting opened Tuesday night in the capital as political tensions over Somalia’s electoral process intensified, with participants warning that the country is not ready to hold one-person, one-vote polls within the current government’s term. Leaders of the Madasha Samatabixinta Soomaaliyeed, an opposition coalition, convened the forum at the Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu to air grievances about the federal government’s handling of the electoral framework and to gather public input ahead of…

Somalia, AU and UN issue urgent donor appeal to sustain Somali Security Forces support MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) on Tuesday launched an urgent appeal for new donor contributions to keep critical support flowing to Somali Security Forces. The call came during a Somali Security Forces (SSF) Trust Fund event in Mogadishu attended by Somalia’s National Security Advisor, the U.N.…

Monday December 15, 2025 HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — Drilling for crude oil in North Western State of Somalia is expected to begin by 2027, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro said Monday, outlining what officials describe as a long-awaited step toward potential production after years of exploration and delays. Speaking at the North Western State of Somalia Mining Expo in Hargeisa, Irro said the first well could be spudded within two years, with the timeline pulling forward if technical and contractual…

Somali influencer deported from U.S. returns to Mogadishu under threat, stoking migrant fears MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers has been deported from the United States after months in immigration detention, returning to Mogadishu amid renewed fears for his safety and mounting anxiety across Somali migrant communities in the American Midwest. Mahad Mohamud, 36, widely known online as “Garyaqaan,” or “The Lawyer,” was removed from the U.S. last month after…

Monday December 15, 2025 Federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including Homeland Security Investigations officers, stand outside a restaurant during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. CREDIT: Councilmember Jason Chavez As ICE raids intensify in Minnesota, Somali families in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside, along Lake Street and in Rochester are quietly drawing up “know your rights” plans—teaching children not to open doors to strangers, memorizing key phone numbers and gathering…

MOGADISHU (AX) — A deadly attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach killed 15 people, including a child, prompting nationwide condemnation, heightened security and fears of backlash among Somali and other Muslim communities. Police said a man and his son opened fire during the beachfront gathering late Sunday, targeting attendees in what authorities described as an antisemitic act of terrorism. The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87. Investigators said inquiries were ongoing and urged the public to…